


Redhanded

by LoonyLupin



Series: Inky and Arrows: Brinda Cadash x Sera [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/F, Therinfal Redoubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-31 06:46:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3968428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoonyLupin/pseuds/LoonyLupin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Therinfal Redoubt proves a frightening place, but it's a little better with a friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Redhanded

Brinda Cadash’s senses flared.  She was anxious, jittery, every movement around her a cause for alarm.  And why shouldn’t it be?  She stood over a corpse of a tall man in templar uniform with jagged red crystals erupting from the flesh where his face used to be.  She knew she was a surfacer, she knew she had no Stone sense, but she could still feel the wrongness shimmering off the man’s corpse in waves.   _Fuck._   This wasn’t supposed to happen.  What  _was_  happening?

She shook the thought away, distracted by the sound of her own breaths, coming sharp and quick from her heaving chest.  She could hear the rain, too; pitter patter of water cresting on the wooden roof above them, drowned out by the sound of shouts and steel on steel.  She smelled the mustiness of damp and too many people crammed into one place, tasted the smell of fear.  Was it hers?  Was it this red corpse’s at her feet?

 _Shit, shit, shit,_  her brain shrieked at her.  She could only agree helplessly with it.  And the templars were supposed to be the  _safe_  option!

She glanced at the other women.  Vivienne’s face, stony, her shoulders straight and stiff.  Clearly Vivienne had not expected this.  She had expected order, civility, the stupid incomprehensible Game, especially with the nobles at their side.  Not that the nobles weren’t arses, but had they deserved to go with arrows through their eyes?

Cassandra’s lips were thinner than Brinda had ever seen them.  The blood had drained from Cassandra’s face, and Brinda could only guess what kind of betrayal this felt like.  What had happened to these people?   _Why_  had it happened?  Cassandra nodded at Brinda, telling her to continue the fight.  It had to be done.  These people – these  _monsters_  – they weren’t right, they weren’t right, they had to be ended.

And Sera –

Sera stood apart from the their group, bent over her bow as if checking the string.  But when  Brinda stepped toward her, she could see the way the elf trembled, pale fingers vibrating on the bowstring.  She sensed Brinda looking at her and lifted her head, her eyes wide.

“This is utter shite, you know that?” she asked sharply, her voice cracking at the end of the sentence.  “This lot – they were supposed to have their heads on right.  They weren’t supposed to be bleeding monsters!”

“I know,” said Brinda.  She shrugged helplessly.  “Come on.  We can figure out – whatever it is they did to themselves later.  Let’s focus on getting out of here.”

“Right,” said Sera, biting her lip.  She nodded, straightening up and falling into step alongside Brinda as they moved through the passage, Cassandra and Vivienne bringing up the rear with Ser Barris.   _At least there’s somebody here who’s still sane,_  Brinda thought.

They rounded the corner and faced a closed door through which they could hear screams, loud and piercing.  Sera jumped, and before Brinda realized what was happening, she felt the elf’s hand in hers, squeezing her fingers with a surprisingly strong grip.

Brinda looked up at the elf, disbelieving.  What was Sera doing?  She started to open her mouth, but Sera interrupted her.

“I didn’t sign on for this rubbish,” said Sera.  “Just so you know.”  And for a second, despite the fear still in her eyes, she grinned.

“Neither did I,” said Brinda.  “Just so you know.”  She squeezed back.  Sera’s fingers were calloused in some places, soft in others, and the leather on her gloves felt good in Brinda’s palms.  And her hand was warm, somehow, still warm despite the chill leeching into Brinda’s bones.  It felt good.

“But if we’re here, we’d better clean up their mess,” said Sera, nodding to herself.  “So let’s get on with it, yeah?”

“Yeah.”  

And Sera pulled her hand back, readying her fingertips on her bow, and when Brinda reached for the door, she felt just a little stronger.

**Author's Note:**

> Can't wait until I get into more established romance stuff with Sera but so far I'm enjoying the UST ride :)


End file.
